Karjakin - Ivanchuk and Ernie

By 05 Jan 17 on

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Happy New Year and the top tip for 2016 is at all times carry a spare
Knight of both colours with you. During the game if White then slip
a Black Knight amongst the captured pieces. Your opponent will look
at the captured pieces, then notice they are a piece down and resign.

Before.

After.

Good Luck with this, let me know how you get on.

A few snippets from the recent 2016 World Rapid Championship.
Time control was 15 minutes per games with a 10 second increment.

The event was won by Vassily Ivanchuk

(If that really Ivanchuk.............Russ)

Until they change the photo copyright laws, yes it is.

C. Villagra - A. Firouzja World Rapid 2016 (White to play)

White missed 54.Rxh6+ gxh6 55.Qh7 mate. (or did he?)

Look again. If White had played 54.Rxh6+ gxh6 is a CHECK!
(See the Red Hot Pawn Hall of Doom for a player falling for this.)

That was a neat side- step by White and so was this one.

I. Nepomniachtchi - L.Aronian World Rapid 2016 (White to play)

White is fighting for the draw so why not 69.Rxa5 Bxa5 70.Kxa5 Draw!

White refrained from taking the obvious draw it was a clever pitfall.

69.Rxa5 Kc4!

And White is mated next move with Nb2 or Nc4.

We have to spare a thought for Mohamed Ali Dima who took part
in both the Rapid and the Blitz events. This was a total of 36 games.
Sadly he lost every game. The most heart breaking if which was:

A. Khayat - M. Dima, Rd 6, World Rapid Championship 2016.

White has just played 30.Qb4-b3 check.

Dima caught up in the excitement of scoring his first win played 30...Qh2 mate.

That of course was an illegal move and in Rapid Rules an illegal move forfeits
the game. All he had to do was play 30...Kh8 and White is totally lost. A disaster.

Hi Chaps, This game from the World Blitz Championship caught my beady eye.

Hikaru Nakamura - Alexander Grischuk Rd 19 World Blitz Ch, 2016.

It is White to play.

Nakamura is not looking too good here. He avoided the move 1.Kf3
due to the Knight Fork 1...Nd2+ and played 1.Rf1 h1=Q and resigned.

If 2. Rxh1 then the Knight Fork 2....Nf2+ wins.

But would it? There are two Blitzfalls (Pitfalls in Blitz) to avoid.

2. Rxh1 Nf2+ 3. Kf3 Nxh1 4.Kg2.

Here Black has to know the procedure (which I’m sure Grischuk knew)

4...f5 would draw. 4...Kg5 wins
4...Nf2 is a draw 4....Ng3 wins.

It’s a King v King Opposition thing and I have seen a few examples on RHP
of this being totally messed up From the above position I will show the win.

FEN 8/8/5pk1/8/4n1K1/8/7p/1R6 w - - 0 1

[FEN "8/8/5pk1/8/4n1K1/8/7p/1R6 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rf1 h1=Q 2. Rxh1 Nf2+ 3. Kf3 Nxh1 4. Kg2 Kg5 {The Black King advances first saving up pawn moves to 'pass' to keep or gain the opposition.} 5. Kxh1 Kg4 6. Kg2 {To shepherd the pawn home the Black King needs to be on e2 or g2. Black gets there by forcing the White King to give ground.} 6... f5 {The First pass by Black.} 7. Kf2 Kf4 {If 8.Ke2 Kf3 heading for the key square g2.} 8. Kg2 Ke3 9. Kf1 {White has to prevent Ke2 from Black.} 9... f4 10. Ke1 f3 {One of the must know positions in Chess. White to move losses. Black to move draws,} 11. Kf1 f2 12. Kg2 Ke2 {The pawn promotes.}

Now we see how easy it is the mess this up.

FEN 8/8/5pk1/8/4n1K1/8/7p/1R6 w - - 0 1

[FEN "8/8/5pk1/8/4n1K1/8/7p/1R6 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rf1 h1=Q 2. Rxh1 Nf2+ 3. Kf3 Nxh1 4. Kg2 f5 {This hasty move draws.} 5. Kxh1 Kg5 6. Kg1 {The key move to drawing. White can answer 6... Kg4 with 7 Kg2 and 6...Kf4 with 7.Kf2 taking the opposition.} 6... Kg4 7. Kg2 f4 {Even though Black can waste a move the Black King needs to be in front of the pawn. White is not going to let Black get access to g2 or e2} 8. Kf2 f3 {Now 9.Kg1 would be a mistake. 9....Kg3 would win.} 9. Kf1 Kg3 10. Kg1 {This is that important position again. White to move losses. Black to move draws.} 10... Kg4 {An attempt to confuse White which has worked on RHP in the past.} 11. Kf2 Kf4 12. Kf1 {And 12....Ke3 or 12....Kg3 is met with 13.Ke1 and 13.Kg1 facing up the King. I will now show it can be lost.} 12... Ke3 13. Ke1 Ke4 14. Kf1 Kf4 15. Kg1 {That is kind of mistake I often see on RHP.} 15... Kg3 {15....Ke3 would also win. This position with White to play is lost.} 16. Kf1 f2 {White must cede the square g2.} 17. Ke2 Kg2 {The pawn promotes.}

I forgot to mention that the 2016 Blitz Championship was won by Sergey Karjakin.

(I suppose that is not Karjakin.........................Russ)

Probably not but it’s close, same number of ears and eyes.

Here is a game between the winner of the Blitz and the Rapid Winner.

S. Karjakin - V. Ivanchuk World Blitz Ch. 2016

Time control. 3 minutes plus a 2 second increment from move one.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 {The Richter-Rauzer variation of the Sicilian Defence.} 6... e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Bf4 d5 11. Qe3 {All theory, this was a TN way back in the last century (1997).} 11... Bb4 12. Be2 O-O 13. e5 {Getting close to leaving the books. The most common move here is 13...Nh7} 13... Nd7 14. h4 {This idea has been seen in the 13...Nh7 lines but here apparently it is a new move.} 14... c5 15. Bxh6 {Another idea from the 13..Nh7 line. Black should now slip in 15...Bxc3 answering the cute 16.Qg3 with 16.....Bxe5.} 15... gxh6 16. Qxh6 Nxe5 17. Rh3 {This is a caveman blitz attack, standard procedure in this mode of chess.} 17... Bxc3 18. bxc3 Ra7 {Hoping to cover the tender squares f7, g7 and h7 from a7. A common idea, the drawback is this Rook is often undefended.} 19. Rg3+ Ng6 20. h5 Qh4 {Pinning the h-pawn the defence Black was depending on.} 21. Rg4 Qh2 22. Bd3 {And unable to find a good defence (there is none) Black resigned. The finish could go.....} 22... Qe5 {Probably best. it avoids all the mates.} 23. hxg6 f5 24. Rh4 c4 25. Rdh1 {This swaps off into a won ending.} 25... cxd3 26. Qh8+ Qxh8 27. Rxh8+ Kg7 28. Rxf8 Kxf8 29. Rh8+ Kg7 30. Rh7+ Kxg6 31. Rxa7 {Told you that a7 Rook was undefended. Not a brilliant game, but Blitz games rarely are. I gave it Blitz notes.}

I’m sure 2017 will furnish us with plenty of new examples for the
Red Hot pawn Hall of Doom. I have faith in you all. Meanwhile....

cheesepleasepeter - Otis Microlight RHP 2016

I mentioned this blunder in the Villagra - Firouzja game.
White fell for the classic Check answering Check Trick.

FEN r5r1/2p2p1k/1b2pBp1/p1NqP2b/3P1R2/P3Q3/7R/6K1 w - - 0 34

[FEN "r5r1/2p2p1k/1b2pBp1/p1NqP2b/3P1R2/P3Q3/7R/6K1 w - - 0 34"]
34. Rfh4 Bxc5 {White should now play Qd3 which pins the Black g6 pawn, then Kf1! and RxB+ is coming.} 35. Rxh5+ {OOPS!} 35... gxh5+ {CHECK!} 36. Kf1 Qc4+ {Black is not going give White time to play Rxh4+ and checkmate.} 37. Ke1 Rg1+ {Merciless. Qxg1 then Qc1+ and Bxd4+ wins for Black.} 38. Kd2 Qa2+ 39. Kd3 Qxh2 {Black won comfortably.}

This game went for 112 moves and was eventually agreed a draw.
The win and over 20 chances to draw it were earlier were missed.

standamera - Lucske69 RHP 2016

FEN 1b6/8/8/8/7k/5R2/4n2p/7K w - - 0 75

[FEN "1b6/8/8/8/7k/5R2/4n2p/7K w - - 0 75"]
75. Rb3 Bc7 76. Rb4+ Bf4 {RxB and Kxh2 draw.} 77. Re4 {OOPS!} 77... Ng3+ 78. Kxh2 {Now a moment of blindness from Black who does not play NxR discovered check because they can see if the Knight moves then the Rook takes the Bishop. (with the Rook they have just captured.)} 78... Kg4 {White should now end this with RxB.} 79. Re7 {OOPS! Nf5+ wins the Rook.} 79... Nf1+ 80. Kg2 Ne3+ {Rook takes Knight draw.} 81. Kg1 Kg3 {And so they went on like this for another 30+ moves. White refusing to take either minor piece making it a draw. I suppose they were having fun.}

Next, a familiar RHP theme. White relaxes, plays a quick move and skips merrily
onto the next game. Next he day he gets confirmation he has been checkmated.

daisydixiechico - poboy RHP 2011

FEN 4r3/5b2/n2R1P2/1kp2Q1p/p5r1/Pp2B3/1P5P/1K2R3 w - - 0 44

[FEN "4r3/5b2/n2R1P2/1kp2Q1p/p5r1/Pp2B3/1P5P/1K2R3 w - - 0 44"]
44. Qd3+ c4 {Now Rb6+ Ka5 and Qc3+ mate next move.} 45. Qh7 {White elects to lose the Queen instead.} 45... Bg6+ 46. Qxg6 Rxg6 47. f7 {That is an OOPS! Black can now play Rxe3 because White's back rank is hanging. A fact we will return to later.} 47... Rf8 {Black missed that chance, now they are a whole Rook down.} 48. Rxg6 Rxf7 49. Rg5+ Kc6 50. Rg6+ Kb5 51. Rb6+ Ka5 52. Rd1 {White is now constructing a mating net.} 52... h4 53. Rd5+ Nc5 {Now Rc6 and the mating net is complete.} 54. Bxc5 {OOPS! it's the weak back rank again.} 54... Rf1+ 55. Rd1 Rxd1 {White has been checkmated.}

Yes, I am really looking forward to some 2017 more of the same.

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 171399

Karjakin - Ivanchuk and Ernie

The Planet Greenpawn

Karjakin - Ivanchuk and Ernie

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

The Planet Greenpawn